Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-06-03

In the current number of the Forum,
Gen. William f. Smith, who rs an officer
of United States engineers, has had much
to do with public works, recommends the
formation of new department of the
United States government, with a secre-
tary at its head who shall be a cabinet
officer, to have charge of the various
bureaus, which relate to civil public
works. These bureaus are those of river
and harbor improvements, now carried on
by the engineer corps of the army, the
2ast and geological survey, the survey of
public lands, the vast system OF public
buildings, the weather bureau, the agri-
cultural bureau, the bureau for the adj
mtnistration of the lighthouse system, the
REGIONAL observatory, the bureau of pat
ents, the inspection of hulls and boilers of
steamers and the bureau of pisciculture.
In several of these bureaus, he says, the
limits of duties are loosely laid down,
causing an overlapping of jurisdiction
which brings about in many cases dupli-
cation of work, and engenders strife be-
tween rival bureaus. The consequent
want of order and system is utterly opposed
to economy and efficiency.
AS an example of maladministration
l. Smith takes the class of public
" orks coming under the head of the i'm
provement of rivers and harbors. En-
lightened legislation, as he says, would
have ere ated an administrative bureau to
carry on such work, with such authority
that it would naturally become guide
to legislation in deciding what rivers and
harbors were fit subjects for improve
ments both in the interests of commerce
and the national defences. Its plans and
estimates would be regularly submitted,
and, work once begun, the appropriations
should be continued to completion, and
then the bureau should have supervision
over them to prevent deterioration arisir G
from wanton action or neglect.
But instead Congress has retained the
selection of the localities to be improved,
| Appropriations have been made without
the slightest regard to the merits of the
| question but to conciliate the political
influence of the localities. Works have
been begun, and suspended because the
appropriations We're discontinued when
the localities had lost their political in
fiuence and thus money has been squander-
ed. AS rule, the sums thus set apart have
been given to the corps of engineers "a
expend, but the estimates from that
bureau are never followed, and in many
cases the chief of engineers has not au
thorized the expenditure of appropriations
made on pro rata plan, because, being
insufficient in amount for any beneficial
purpose, the expenditure would be a
waste of public money Completed
works are abandoned, and deterio-
ration, from neglect and other
cause, naturally goes on until such time
rs the local interests can, through ther
representatives, get new appropriations,
far exceeding the cost of proper malnte-
nance, had it been ordered. While, as
has been said, custom has given these en-
penditures to the corps of engineers, Con
gress may at any time divert any or al OF
the items of the appropriations TO any
other bureau or to any individual Tor en-
penditure. 1t can, as it has done, direct
contracts to be made with any speclled
individual, and can, rs it has also done,
on the application of such individual
modify contract, to the detriment both